Adult Happenings

The Parable of the Hummingbirds

I like what the author Scot McKnight wrote about an experience he had recently. “My wife, Kris, and I attracted hummingbirds into our backyard to feed on our assortment of feeders and flowers. Throughout a weekend marked by perfect weather, Kris and I sat on our screened porch and read and talked and visited with family and ate our meals together. We learned something that weekend about those little marvels called hummingbirds: they eat constantly. My estimation is they visit our feeders and flowers forty or fifty times a day. Instead of gobbling up an entire bottle of nectar in one sitting, hummers poke their spindly, needle-nosed beaks and extendible tongues to extract nectar from plants and feeders all day long.”

It occurred to Scot that he was witnessing a parable: “many of us live as if we were designed to eat like lions, as if one big meal (Sunday) is enough to sustain us for the week. Not so. Followers of Jesus are more like hummingbirds than lions. We need a steady diet of spiritual nectar if we are to live the kind of life Jesus asks us to live.”

The opportunities we continue to offer may assist you in finding just that kind of nourishment for your spiritual life.

The Rev. Timothy Jones

Summer Rerun: Read the Bible in 90 Days!

You’ve heard about it, this summer you will have a chance to do it! The Bible in 90 Days is a unique program that minimizes the hurdles most people stumble over when trying to read the entire Bible. The goal is to read the bible quickly but attentively in order to get a sense of the broad sweep of salvation history: the Garden of Eden to the new heaven and new earth, prophesy and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. It’s intense but it’s worth it. Just ask the folks who did it from Christmas to Easter!

A fascinating video series and Participant’s Guide as well as a book called The Essential Bible Companion will help you stay engaged in your reading. Classes begin on June 1st at 9:00am in Dandridge B.

Copies of all three books will be available in St. George’s Bookstore soon. The Bible is divided into 12 page increments to facilitate reading it within 90 days. A schedule for reading will also be provided. Begin reading on June 1st and you will be finished by August 31st (It’s also perfectly all right to begin reading as soon as you get the book!)

Any questions, please contact The Rev. Marcia King at 385-2150 x 214 or marcia.king@stgeorgesnashville.org

Looking Ahead to Fall

After an Adult Christian Formation Fair on Sunday, September 7th, the new fall line-up of Sunday morning classes will begin on September 14th. These include:

• Rector’s Forum: Good Books and the Good Book: consists of seven notable books on a wide range of topics relating to the Christian faith and living faithfully in our contemporary culture.
• A God’s Eye View: In this interactive class for youngish adults as well as the young at heart, we’ll examine life from a different perspective: God’s. What has God said about things like beauty, human personality, truth, love, ambition, the world’s varied religions, the Bible, and creation? Through a combination of film, relevant texts, interactive discussion and an occasional panel of experts, we’ll consider what it means to live life as a follower of Jesus Christ in a contemporary culture often described as “post-Christian.” Led by The Rev. Tony Welty.
• Going into All the World: a series of presentations on outreach at St. George’s - the history, mission, numbers served, stories of beneficiaries, outcomes in lives affected, and more. Presentations will include details about Our Little Roses, South Africa, Siloam Medical Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, St. Luke’s, Middle East partnership initiatives, and other beneficiaries in our outreach service and giving.
• Shorter Takes Series: Three month-long segments on, “Who Did Jesus Say that He Was?” (September); “Remember the Sabbath and Keep It Wholly” (October), both taught by The Rev. Marcia King; and “Celebrating Angels,” (November), taught by The Rev. Timothy Jones.
• Ethics, Theology, & Conversation: a round-table, open discussion of theological, spiritual, and ethical issues. Each semester, a topic is chosen, based on either a book or materials collected and presented by members. Examples of discussion topics include religion and science, religion and health, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the early Christian Church. Moderated by Shirley Hercules.

Other weekday offerings include Community Groups, Companions in Christ (meeting Wednesday evenings and Tuesday mornings), a Monday night Bible study group, Women’s Bible Study, a Wednesday morning Bible study, and other offerings as well.

What's So Amazing About Grace?

What’s so Amazing about Grace?
Facilitated by The Rev. Marcia King
June 1st-August 3rd Now in Johnson Hall!

Mention the word “grace” and often a bagpipe wailing the solemn notes of “Amazing Grace” comes to mind. The whole concept of “grace” is sometimes difficult to understand.

Most faiths have virtues and creeds but Jesus speaks merely of receiving the love that God has for us. Accepting it, not earning it or making ourselves worthy of it. Accepting something we have not earned or are not worthy of is not an easy thing for most of us.

In his book, What’s So Amazing about Grace?, Philip Yancey writes about the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God: grace. Come join us June 1st as we explore the true meaning of the grace of God this summer! The book What’s So Amazing about Grace? will be available soon in St. George’s Bookstore or may be obtained from Amazon.com.

Compelling New Wednesday Series to Launch in September

Beginning September 3rd, an exciting monthly series meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, will be held with the theme, “Engaging Christ and Culture.” Confirmed presenters, all noted in their respective field, include songwriters, singers, scientists, dramatists, and more.

Dynamic Marriage Workshop

For all our differences, men and women want the same thing: satisfying, loving relationships. How can you experience a lifetime of love, fulfillment, and intimacy in your marriage? By learning habits that meet the most important emotional needs of yourself and your spouse. The Dynamic Marriage Workshop, an eight-week course to be offered on Wednesday evenings at St. George’s beginning in September 2008, helps committed couples sustain happy, fulfilling relationships that grow stronger each year while bringing hope and healing to troubled marriages. The eight weeks of work gives each couple time to learn how to stop damaging behaviors in their marriage, deal with conflict, and learn to meet each other’s emotional needs. Because of the nature of the course, the Dynamic Marriage Workshop is limited to twelve couples and will be filled on a “first to sign-up” basis. Be on the lookout for more information in early August! The Rev. Tony and Cherie Welty will co-facilitate the course.

Finding Your Spiritual Gifts

Click here to take survey that will help identify some of your spiritual gifts. Further resources include the following:

Gifts & Talents Workshop
A six-week long series designed to help you identify your spiritual gifts and outlets for using them in the service of others.

Companions in Christ
A series of group Bible studies which includes a session on identifying and acknowledging the gifts of each participant in the group.

For more information on any of these resources, please contact Lynn Ragland at lynn.ragland@stgeorgesnashville.org or 385-2150 x 247.